Today, the increasingly international nature of business, rising levels of disposable income, and other factors, have led to increased air travel. For instance, people oftentimes take regular domestic and/or international flights for tourism, to visit friends/family, to conduct business, etc. Indeed, the proliferation of airline loyalty programs suggests that frequent flying (e.g., one or more times per month) is commonplace for many people today.
Yet almost anyone who travels by air is familiar with the frustrating experience of having to stand in multiple lines at various points in an airport. The seemingly wasted time waiting in lines before reaching a boarding area reduces individuals' abilities to enjoy themselves while traveling. Indeed, numerous activities prevalent at airports cannot be enjoyed at all. Consider, for example, that long delay inhibit the ability to relax at or near a gate before boarding, sip on a coffee while reading a newspaper, drink an alcoholic beverage while watching a news broadcast or sporting event in a bar, make a last call to a loved one, check email or otherwise conduct business by telephone before going offline for the duration of the flight, shop for clothes or gifts or pick up electronics (e.g., a spare set of batteries or headphones so as to be able to enjoy a few films on the plane), etc.
Certain example embodiments seek to address these and/or other related issues. For instance, certain example embodiments help address the issue of airport crowd congestion, so as to produce a more “even flow” (e.g., an improved or optimized through-flow) within the process of arriving at an airport and boarding an airplane and, as such, reduce the time spent waiting in lines. By doing so, operational efficiencies can be gained, customer (passenger) satisfaction can be enhanced, and airport revenues can be increased.
Certain example embodiments involve determining a customer's emotional status by means of facial recognition (based on data gathered from video cameras) and social media (e.g., via sentiment analysis), etc. Certain example embodiments also help determine whether real-time action(s) would be helpful in preventing, reducing the likelihood of, or resolving, existing problems and/or problems that arise during the through-flow of passengers at an airport. By taking actions when appropriate, the airport authority, airline operators, proprietors within the airport, and others can benefit, e.g., from improved overall customer perception of travel-related services or products. Certain example embodiments thus provide a more holistic Customer Experience Management (CEM or CXM) solution.
It will be appreciated that the benefits to an airport, airline, proprietors, etc., associated with determining these operational reactions in real-time and thereby improving CEM can be equally applicable in other environments. For example, railway stations, amusement parks, and/or other areas where crowds are gathered can benefit from the example techniques set forth herein.
One aspect of certain example embodiments relates to enhancing the customer experience at a venue such that doing so becomes an input that can influence actions taken along with other known mechanisms. In addition, it can also provide real-time dynamic feedback as to the results of subsequent actions taken to deal with the problems. This approach advantageously in certain example instances can help tie together individual monitoring mechanisms for feedback and possible further actions. It is in the analysis of the behavior rather than the more simple use of camera technology to measure queues/flow that helps achieve the satisfaction and dynamic reaction beneficial for coordinating various individual monitoring mechanisms to provide a complete solution, in certain example embodiments.
Another aspect of certain example embodiments relates to using video surveillance in order to optimize or improve the operational efficiency and speed of processing passengers at a large venue. In addition, the venue's video surveillance data may be used for security purposes.
Still another aspect of certain example embodiments relates to enabling a venue authority (e.g., an airport authority) or other authorized user define “need for action” algorithms, which may take into account an extensible set of parameters, custom weights, etc., that help identify (and potentially rank in order of severity) perceivable problems. In certain example embodiments, authorized users may specify problem types, optional respective levels of severity, etc., and such problems may be defined in terms of emotional sentiment, etc. Additionally, or in the alternative, recommended resolutions may be defined in a similar way. For instance, recommended solutions to problems may be ranked, e.g., in order of impact, number of issues they address and solve partially or completely, etc. Certain example embodiments may make a determination as to what problems to resolve and how to resolve them (e.g., if multiple possible problems are present), e.g., based on a ranking. Wait times may be specified to confirm whether there is an effect in an implemented action plan. In certain example embodiments, it may be possible to generate longer-range (e.g., daily, weekly, seasonal, etc.) staffing plans, accommodative actions, etc.
In certain example embodiments, there is provided an information processing system, comprising processing resources including at least one processor. The system further includes a first interface over which quantified representations of inferred emotional states of one or more individuals are electronically receivable. The processing resources are configured to at least: dynamically perform a set of first pre-programmed scenarios in real-time as events continue to stream into the system via the first interface to determine whether an incident might be occurring and/or might have occurred, each said first scenario being implemented as a logic sequence that takes into account at least an aspect of a representation of an inferred emotional state; and dynamically determine an action to be taken, in response to a determination that a given incident might be occurring and/or might have occurred, the action being selected as an appropriate response for the given incident.
In certain example embodiments, a method of monitoring a venue of interest is provided. The method includes: receiving, over a first electronic interface, quantified representations of inferred emotional states of one or more individuals; dynamically performing a set of pre-programmed scenarios in real-time as events continue to stream in over the first electronic interface to determine whether an incident might be occurring and/or might have occurred, each said first scenario being implemented as a logic sequence that takes into account at least an aspect of a representation of an inferred emotional state; dynamically determining an action to be taken, in response to a determination that a given incident might be occurring and/or might have occurred, the action being selected as an appropriate response for the given incident; and issuing a message to cause the action to be taken.
Non-transitory computer readable storage mediums tangibly storing instructions for performing the above-summarized and/or other approaches also are provided by certain example embodiments, as well as corresponding computer programs.
These features, aspects, advantages, and example embodiments may be used separately and/or applied in various combinations to achieve yet further embodiments of this invention.